1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to video surveillance systems in general, and more particularly to a video content analysis-based detection, surveillance and alarm management system.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Due to the increasing number of terror attacks and potential terror-related threats, one of the most critical surveillance challenges today is the timely and accurate detection of suspicious objects, such as unattended luggage, illegally parked vehicles, suspicious persons, and the like, in or near airports, train stations, federal and state government buildings, hotels, schools, crowded public places typically situated at city centers, and other sensitive areas. In accordance with the prevailing known tactics of terrorist organizations, unattended innocent-looking objects, such as a suitcase, could contain hidden explosive materials installed therein to effect a controlled explosion and thereby inflict massive impact damage to the near environment and the individuals within. Likewise recent attacks have been perpetrated through the use of vehicle bombs, seemingly innocent until explosion. Since these hidden explosives are usually activated by the setting of carefully timed (typically short-period) detonator means, or by an operator who is at the scene or close by, the prompt, rapid and timely detection of suspicious objects, such as unattended luggage, vehicles parking in forbidden zones, suspicious persons, persons leaving unattended suitcases or vehicles, and the like, could prevent life-threatening situations. Similarly, it is important in areas, such as airports, to be able to track persons and objects, such as suitcases and cars, to assist in locating lost luggage, and to restrict access of persons or cars to certain zones. The applications of such abilities are not only for security purposes.
Recently, the authorities responsible for the safety of the public have been attempting to cope with the problems listed above in the most obvious manner by increasing the number of human personnel tasked for the detection, identification and consequent handling of suspicious objects, including vehicles, luggage and persons. At the same time, in order to maintain substantially unobstructed passenger flow and in order to minimize transport delays and consequent public frustration, the security personnel have been obliged to utilize inefficient and time-consuming procedures. One drawback of the above human-centric solution concerns the substantially increased expenses associated with the hiring of a large number of additional personnel. Another drawback concerns the inherent inefficiency of the human-centric procedures involved. For example, specific airport security personnel must perform visual scanning, tracking, and optional handling of objects in sensitive transit areas 24 hours a day, where the sheer number of luggage passing through these areas effect increased fatigue accompanied naturally with diminished concentration. In the same manner, in a traffic-extensive area wherein specific security personnel must watch, track and optionally handle vehicles parking in restricted areas, natural weariness soon sets in and the efficiency of the human-centric procedure gradually deteriorates.
Currently available surveillance systems are designed for assisting human security officers. These systems typically include various image acquisition devices, such as video cameras, for capturing and recording imagery content, and various detector devices, such as movement detectors. The existing surveillance systems have several important disadvantages. The type of alarms provided by the detectors is substantially limited. The video images recorded by the cameras are required to be monitored constantly by human security personnel in order to detect suspicious objects, people and behavior. An alarm situation has to be identified and suitably handled by the personnel where a typical handling activity is the manual generation and distribution of a suitable alarm signal. Since these surveillance systems are based on human intervention the problems related to natural human-specific processes, such as fatigue, lack of concentration, and the like, are still remain in effect.
A further drawback of existing surveillance systems concern the failure of those systems to handle certain inherently suspicious events that were captured by the cameras monitoring a scene. For example, current surveillance systems associated with airport security application, typically fail to identify a situation as suspicious where the situation involves a vehicle arriving at a monitored airport terminal, an occupant of the vehicle leaving of the vehicle, and the departure of the occupant from the monitored scene in a direction that is opposite to the terminal.
Yet another drawback of the current systems concern the inability of the current systems to identify a set of events linked to the same object in the same area throughout a pre-defined surveillance period. For example, when “suitcase” object is left in the scene by a first person and later it is picked up by a second person then the leaving of the suitcase and the picking up of the suitcase constitute a set of linked events.
Still another drawback of the current systems concern the inherent passivity of systems due to the fact that the operations of the systems are based on events initiated by the operators and due to the fact that the systems provide no built-in alerts.
In addition, existing systems are incapable of associating a retrieved event or object through the use of important parameters, such as color of hair, color of clothing and shoes, complexion (via the use of a color histogram), facial features (via face recognition routines), normalized size of the object (distance from the camera), and the like.
It would be easily perceived by one with ordinary skills in the art that there is a need for an advanced and enhanced surveillance, object tracking and identification system. Such a system would preferably automate the procedure concerning the identification of an unattended object substantially and would utilize cost-effective, efficient methods.